Press Release
Israeli occupation troops target the upper body:
Palestinian child killed in Gaza
Ref: 174/2000
Date: November 19, 2000
Time: 16:00 GMT
18:00 Palestine Time
Clashes erupted today between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces. These forces fired at Palestinian civilians, killing a 14-year-old child and wounding others, most of whom were children. Several areas saw clashes. Field information indicates that the Israeli occupation forces targeted the upper part of the body when shooting at Palestinian civilians, and that these forces did not resort to less lethal means to deal with demonstrators. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation forces shelled residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities, and swept more areas of agricultural land.
In the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation forces shot at a number of Palestinian civilians, killing the child Abdel-Rahman Ziad El-Dahshan, 14 years old, from Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, with a live bullet in the heart. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that Israeli occupation troops, reinforced with tanks advanced to a short distance (30-40 meters) from Palestinian houses. He added that the area did not witness significant clashes when the Israeli occupation forces shot at a number of Palestinian demonstrators, killing the child El-Dahshan at about 10:30 local time. These forces did not resort to less lethal means before shooting live ammunition, obviously targeting the upper part of the body. These forces asserted their continued adoption of a policy of willful, cold-blooded killing of Palestinian civilians without any threat being posed to the lives of their troops. As a result of such shooting, 23 Palestinian civilians, mostly children, were wounded with live bullets, including:
Journalist Moaffaq Turki Qassem Mattar, 46 years old, a photographer of Falasteen El-Yawm (Palestine Today) Press, was also wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet, while he was covering the clashes near Al-Mentar Outlet.
In the area to the southwest Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction, on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), dozens of Palestinian young men and children demonstrated since the morning more than 300 meters away from a military post of the Israeli occupation forces. Israeli occupation troops, reinforced with a tank and a number of jeeps, advanced on the branch road leading to Netzarim settlement in the west, and shot at Palestinian demonstrators 150 meters away to the south, wounding four with live bullets. Among the wounded was Mahmoud Kamel A’ckileh, 19 years old, from the area of Al-Mghragha, who was seriously wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen and was evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
In Khan Yunis, this afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding three with live ammunition, and another two with rubber-coated metal bullets. Among the wounded were:
In the village of Anza near Jenin, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding five with live ammunition, including Alla’ Mohammed Atta El-Sheikh, 16 years old, who was seriously wounded with a dumdum bullet in the chest.
Yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces shelled Palestinian houses and civilian facilities near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet. PCHR’s field officer in the area has not been able to reach the shelled houses and civilian facilities to check the damage because the Israeli occupation forces closed the area.
Yesterday, the Israeli occupation forces started to sweep 65 donums of agricultural land on the western side of Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), 100 meters to the north of a military post at the junction leading to Gush Qatif settlement block (Al-Matahen junction). The swept areas, planted with olives and guavas, are owned by the two bothers Yousef and Abdel-Qader Abu Houli. This sweeping took place until 5:00 local time this morning.
No changes have taken place concerning the reinforcement by the Israeli occupation forces of their presence throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. In the Gaza Strip, tanks and armored vehicles of the Israeli occupation forces are still stationed on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), near the roads leading to Gush Qatif settlement block and the settlements of Kfar Darom and Morag, and on the road leading to Kissufim Crossing in the east. Since this morning, the Israeli occupation forces have reopened Salah El-Din Street near Kfar Darom settlement, after it had been closed since November 14, 2000. However, Israeli occupation troops have continued to position roadblocks, obstructing the movement of Palestinian transportation.
In Rafah, all branch roads leading to Rafah Border Crossing have been closed since November 16, 2000. This increases the suffering of residents of Rafah and obstructs the access of farmers to their agricultural land near the Border Crossing on the Palestinian-Egyptian border.
The Israeli occupation forces have continued to isolate Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area in the west of Rafah and Khan Yunis, causing a deterioration in the living conditions of residents. This morning, Israeli occupation troops at Al-Tuffah roadblock between Khan Yunis and Al-Mawasi area obstructed the entry of two trucks of UNRWA loaded with flour and medicine for the residents of the area. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that the two trucks reached the mentioned roadblock at about 10:00 local time, and that Israeli occupation troops obstructed their entry into Al-Mawasi area until 12:00 local time. He added that Israeli occupation troops also obstructed the passing of a car of ICRC for about half an hour.
The Israeli occupation forces have imposed a sea siege on the southern area of the Gaza Strip since November 10, 2000, preventing Palestinian fishermen from going out to sea. A number of fishermen stated that they have not been able to remove their nets from the sea since November 9, 2000. They believe that these nets will be damaged by the extended delay.
The Israeli occupation forces have kept up their actions of collective punishment by continuing to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and by closing Gaza International Airport and Rafah Border Crossing.
***
PCHR reiterates its call for the international community to immediately intervene to stop the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. PCHR calls in particular for:
“End”